Can I create my own "recovery partition"?

My T61p with preloaded Vista basic will arrive in a few days. I am planning to create a set of recovery CD and then do a fresh installation of XP. I will also install Ubuntu to make it a Ubuntu-XP dual boot system.

I am wondering if I can delete the preloaded hidden partition and create my own "recovery partition". I only want to use the partition to recover the XP system after it has all the drivers installed. The easiest way I can think of is using Norton Ghost to create a partition image, and store the image and the basic files that is needed by Ghost into a new partition. When it is needed, I will boot into the recovery partition, and simply restore the image into the XP partition. However I have two questions:
1) Usually the Ubuntu partition will be set as bootable after I installed both XP and Ubuntu. However I need to set the recovery partition into bootable when I need to restore the XP system, then set the bootable flag back into the Ubuntu partition when the restoration process is completed. Is it possible to achieve that by simply clicking the ThinkVantage button? (The preloaded system can set the bootable flag between the vista and the recovery partition just by using the ThinkVantage button)
2) How can I hide the recovery partition under Windows XP? i.e., I don't want the recovery partition to be visible in the Windows Explorer.

 

I think, but I'm not sure, that EasyBCD software can rearrange what gets booted and when. If you want access to your restore partition run easybcd to enable that partition to boot.

Another option is to just use ghost when you want to recover one of your os's then update your bootloader.

 

Norton Ghost can do 95% of what you want. The only exception is that it will not work with a simple touch of the thinkvantage button, you will have to pop in the ghost cd.